CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to service members and their former psychiatrist.The other point is an old one: To any military, the soldiers are just widgets, like cannons, rifles or trucks. If one breaks down and they can't repair it on the cheap, they'll just throw it away and get another one. The term used to be "cannon fodder."
The eight trailers were used for nearly two years, until a permanent clinic was completed in September in another location on the base, said a Camp Lejeune medical spokesman, Navy Lt. j.g. Mark Jean-Pierre.
The noise from training exercises “shook me up real bad. I couldn’t take it. I almost ran out of there a couple of times,” said a Marine, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media. “My mind couldn’t focus on the treatment. I couldn’t tell the difference between the combat zone and the non-combat zone.”
The allegations became public after the dismissal of Dr. Kernan Manion, a civilian psychiatrist who says he was fired for writing memos to his military superiors complaining of shoddy care of Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD, a condition that can make patients jumpy, fearful of loud noises and prone to flashbacks.
The military, at its core, does not want to deal with PTSD or battle fatigue or shell shock. Deep down, they believe that PTSD is a personal weakness, just like failing to do a required number of pushups, and if the soldiers would only toughen up, they'd be fine. If an injury does not manifest itself by either blood or something visible on an X-ray, it doesn't exist to them.
"Support the troops" to the military means supporting the healthy troops. The ones who are injured and will not recover to a duty status become the VA's problem, not theirs.
It's very true about the military considering PTSD a bothersome illness.
ReplyDeleteBut the good news is, the VA has on staff some world reknown experts on the treatment of PTSD.
As the former deputy chief of public affairs for the San Antonio VA, I interviewed Dr. Vrony Heatherly on the subject.
She is a psychiatrist with amazing compassion for PTSD victims, and has helped thousands of veterans with the disease.
She could practice psychiatry anywhere in the world, but she chose the VA because she understands how much her unique talents are needed.
Use and abuse. Yep, Standard Operating Procedure.
ReplyDeleteIt's my observation that people who work for defense contractors have less latitude to criticize the policies of their departments than civil servants have. When you work for a contractor in such a position, you're criticizing your customer. This is seldom a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThe VA has been transitioning to using more contract personnel as staff in the last few years - part of that marvelous efficiency movement Dick Cheney sponsored many years ago.
I suppose it's a good thing that the government is using more contract people in lieu of civil servants. Now we'll here less of that confusing criticism.